A Life In Reverse
by Paige42
Summary: Kate Brannigan wakes up to her normal life; a career, house, husband and child. So why is she convinced that it's all wrong? COMPLETED.
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 1/?  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.  
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Fire... smoke... screaming... God, it hurts... bitter... What are you doing to me... Pain... so much pain... God, make it stop... No!  
  
~*~  
  
"No!" Kate bolted upright. Sweat dripped down her face, her nightgown clung to her chest. She looked around the room quickly. With a deep sigh, she brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
"Kate," a voice called from next to her.  
  
"I'm okay. It was just a nightmare."  
  
The man next to her sat up. "You sure?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "God, you're shaking."  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
As he laid down, Kate laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively.   
" 'Night Kate."  
  
" 'Night Ryan."  
  
~*~  
  
"And police are still baffled by the ever increasing crime rate of Chicago. Within the last fourteen years, the murder rate in the city has almost quadrupled. The FBI has been called in to consult on a string of what are bring called 'cult crimes'. A curfew has been set..."   
  
Kate rolled over and turned off the radio alarm.  
  
"Hey, I was listening to that. Always nice to hear news about the old hometown."  
  
"I'm just glad you don't live there anymore. Besides, some of us have to do some work today."  
  
"And some of us were praying for another snow day." Ryan rolled over and leaned up on one elbow. "You gotta love Philly winters."  
  
"I've got a deadline." Kate stared up at him.  
  
"Ah. So that's why the nightmares."  
  
"Maybe. I have been having some writers block."  
  
Ryan leaned down. "I have a cure for that, you know." He wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
She laughed. "As I recall, all of your cures for everything involve you and some form of flirtation."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I ended up on a date with you because I was experiencing a creative dry spell."  
  
"All I suggested was that you should try a different brand of oil paint. Besides," he playfully traced his fingers down her arm, "you got over it."  
  
"And your proposal of marriage came just after I was contracted by Gateworld Comics."  
  
"Well, they adored you for your twisted mind. I just wanted to get you into bed."  
  
"Which brings us to our daughter..." Kate glanced at the clock, "who will be waking up in about ten minutes."  
  
"Plenty of time."  
  
Kate laughed again. "Come on, Mr. Dallion. The future artists of America look to you for instruction."  
  
Ryan sighed and quickly kissed Kate's nose. "And those same people will be looking to you to corrupt their minds with sarcasm and evil deeds."  
  
"We're the perfect team."  
  
~*~  
  
Kate closed the front door quietly behind her. The paperboy's aim was getting worse. At least today, though, it actually landed on the property... if a little obscured by Ryan's car sitting in the driveway. She rested her hand on the bumper as she reached for the paper...  
  
... "Ryan!" Kate screamed as a set of hands grabbed her. She kicked out with her left foot, taking whoever it was by surprise. She dropped to the ground and reached for the car. Her hand was wrapped around the bumper as another set of hands grabbed her face. A sickeningly sweet smell filled her nostrils. She started to choke...  
  
Kate shook her head. "Whoa." She stood up slowly and hugged the newspaper to her chest. She took a few deep breaths before going back to the house.  
  
"Hey there!" A short woman ran up the sidewalk.   
  
Kate half smiled. "Hey Carol."  
  
"You all right? You look like you've seen a ghost." She brushed a lock of short red hair behind her ear.  
  
"No, I'm fine." Kate sighed. "Have you... ever had this weird kinda deja vu?"  
  
"You're gonna have to unpack that one for me." Carol adjusted the large satchel on her shoulder.  
  
"Like, you're doing something and suddenly you think to yourself, I shouldn't be doing this. It's not right. Like, it's not your life."  
  
All the while Kate was explaining, Carol was nodding her head.  
  
"Do you know what I mean," Kate asked.  
  
Carol nodded a few more times, "Nope."  
  
Kate frowned. "Some partner you are."  
  
"I'm an inker, not a shrink. Come on, we've got a serious deadline."  
  
____________________________________endone___________________________________ 


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 2/?  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.  
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Excerpt included from Karen's (Coe42) "Blast From The Past".  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Ryan sipped his coffee as he flipped through a file. He looked up as the front door opened.  
  
"Morning Ryan," Carol's voice echoed into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Carol. How's the mind this morning?" Ryan began to close up the files in front of him.  
  
"Dark and disturbing. We should have a good day." She walked into the kitchen. "I would have a talk with your wife, though. She's having early mid life crisis flashes."  
  
"Yes, thank you Carol." Kate dropped the newspaper on the counter.  
  
Ryan smiled. "What?"  
  
Kate went over to a small high chair and picked up the baby sitting in it. "Just had this weird "This-isn't-my-life" moment." She began to wipe the baby's face. "Just a momentary vacation in my head. No big deal. Right, Elizabeth," she asked the baby. The baby smiled toothlessly at her mother and looked around the room.  
  
Carol picked up a coffee cup and headed into the other room. "I'll start laying out the panels and boards."  
  
Ryan walked over to Kate. "You sure you're all right?"  
  
Kate shifted the baby to her hip. "Why do you keep asking me that?"  
  
"Nightmares, hallucinations..."  
  
"It wasn't a hallucination. Just... a weird thought. Think of it this way, I'll use it as inspiration." She smiled at him.  
  
"An artist getting wrapped up in her work?"  
  
"Works for me."  
  
"Just make sure you don't get too lost." Ryan looked at the baby. "Slide over, shorty. Gotta say goodbye to Mommy." Ryan leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her. "See you around five."  
  
"Okay."   
  
Ryan kissed Elizabeth's forehead. "See you later, kiddo."  
  
The baby gurgled a response and waved frantically.  
  
Ryan collected his bag from the counter and made his way to the front door. "Bye Carol," he yelled.  
  
"See ya," a muffled voice responded.  
  
Ryan opened the door and stood in the doorway.  
  
"Be careful," Kate called to him.  
  
Ryan smiled. "Yes Mommy."  
  
... Kate shut the large book on Jack's desk. "It's gotta be the jade knife. It's the only thing that makes sense."  
  
Johnny frowned. "Yes, only in our world can the phrases "skinned alive" and "makes sense" be used in the same thought."  
  
Ryan slid on his jacket. "Well, at least we know what to look for and know where it is."  
  
"Yeah, but we're still sketchy on what exactly it does." Kate ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Lucky us," Johnny mumbled as they made their way to the door.  
  
"Be careful, guys."  
  
Ryan turned around in the doorway. "Yes, Mommy."...  
  
Kate shook her head. "Okay, that's enough."  
  
~*~  
  
Kate walked into her studio, a cleaned and dressed Elizabeth tucked into her hip.   
  
Carol looked up over a thin pair of glasses. "Baby drool and boards. Not a good combo."  
  
Kate smiled as she put the baby into a small playpen by her desk. "She won't be here long. My mom's taking her to the doctor's for me in a few minutes." She dropped herself into her chair and grabbed a pen. "So, what do we have planned for the crew of 'Oddities'?"  
  
Carol pushed her glasses back up. "Well, the last panels had Jack trapped in a cellar dungeon with Micki about to break in and help him out. Johnny was wandering around the castle looking for... something."  
  
Kate looked up. "I never wrote an object in?"  
  
"Ah," Carol flipped through few boards, "nope. Not yet."  
  
Kate scratched her head. "We'll have to go back to Johnny. Micki needs to get chased off." Suddenly behind her, the doorbell rang. "Oh, be right back. Come on, Liz."   
  
~*~  
  
Kate sighed as she sat back down. "We've got about three hours before she drops her back off."  
  
Carol smiled. "So she's not still mad at you?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean what's to be mad at? I'm making money, I own a house, she's a grandmother and I got pregnant after I was married."  
  
"However..." Carol prompted.  
  
"However, she's still angry that I married a man a decade older than me."  
  
"Yeah, but he's a hottie."  
  
Kate laughed. "Very true. So anyway, back to the gang." She picked up her pen. "Well, we need something for them to be chasing."  
  
Carol thought for a moment. "That usually helps."  
  
Kate stared off into space...  
  
... A shadow fell over Johnny, obscuring his vision. A familiar voice called out from behind him. A look of pure terror was affixed on the guide's face. "You have twice insulted me. You refuse to eat my food, you try to free my prey. What next?" Johnny turned around to face Victor Wolfe, but he was totally unprepared for the sight that met him....  
  
"Earth to Mrs. Brannigan-Dallion. You flashing on another life?"  
  
"Um, how about a wolf pendant that turns the wearer into a werewolf?"  
  
Carol nodded. "Nice." She began sketching. "Where'd you pull that from?"  
  
Kate began dragging a pen across her board. "Just popped in there."  
  
~*~  
  
"More," a voice called from the darkness, "we need more."  
  
_______________________________________endtwo__________________________ 


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 3/?  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.  
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Includes excerpts and characters from Karen's (Coe42) "Past and Future".  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Kate stared out the window. Her mind had been wondering for the last hour. This migraine wasn't helping either. God, she was never going to get any work done this way...  
  
... "Hey."  
  
Kate's head shot up off the desk. "Huh?"  
  
Ryan shook her arm. "How do expect to get any work done when you're sleeping on Jack's desk?"...  
  
Carol took the pen out of her mouth. "You know, this story is really sketchy."  
  
Kate shook her head. "Ah, yeah." She cleared her throat and tried to act like she had been paying attention.   
  
~*~  
  
"This isn't working," a voice called. "She's remembering the wrong things."  
  
A group of voices began talking over each other.  
  
"Enough! Another injection."  
  
~*~  
  
Kate picked up her pen again. "But ask yourself this. What is our audience looking for? Plot or gore?" She absently began rubbing the back of her neck, willing the headache away.  
  
"How very true... and scary all at the same time." She put her glasses back on. "You know, you don't seem to enthused about this issue. I think you need a vacation. Although personally, I've been waiting for your nervous breakdown."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I could use the rest too, you know. We all don't have your stamina."  
  
"This coming from the woman who was trying to convince me to go mountain climbing with her."  
  
"There's a difference between stamina and stamina."  
  
Kate frowned at her partner across the table. "Gee, thanks for clearing that up for me."  
  
Carol dropped her glasses on the table. "How old are you?"  
  
"Twenty-two."  
  
"My point exactly."  
  
Kate stared exasperated at her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Look at me. I'm twenty-four years old. I've got a dog, a studio apartment and a job I tolerate."  
  
Kate frowned again.  
  
"But I'm happy. Toss in a boyfriend and I'd be thrilled. Now look at you, you're twenty-two. You own a house, got a husband and a kid and I constantly see you staring out the window of your office with that trapped bird expression on your face. No wonder you're..."  
  
"Don't say hallucinating. So you're suggesting I run away and buy myself a dog?"  
  
Carol laughed. "No. I'm suggesting that you finish this issue with me tonight. Then you ditch the kid and run away with your husband for a week. Get really drunk and do stuff you'll regret when you come back to the real world."  
  
Kate smirked. "That could be fun."  
  
Carol put her glasses back on. "Now back to the real world again. I think we need to address the fact that we're stuffing too much into the vault. I mean, logistically we ran out of room a year ago."  
  
"No. Remember we did the issue where Johnny and the gang find the temple underneath the vault? Trap door in the bottom of the vault leads to a temple Lewis and his cult use to bring forth demons, had access to the sewer system."  
  
"I kinda remember."  
  
~*~  
  
"Good." The hooded man dropped into a seat. "Make sure you get everything she says."  
  
"Yes sir." Another man nodded as he scratched at a piece of paper.  
  
The hooded man sighed as he pulled at his robe, the hood falling to his shoulders. Burn marks and scars took up his entire hairless skull.  
  
"Sir," woman walked into the room.  
  
"Come in, Rebecca." He held out his hand.  
  
The woman knelt down and removed her hood. She, too, was covered in scars and tattoos. She gently kissed his hand and looked up into his eyes. "Cole, are the injections working?"  
  
He ran a hand across her cheek. "Wonderfully." He pointed to the other side of the room.  
  
Kate lay strapped to a table, candles forming a circle around her. Men in hoods chanted odd words, some holding smoking dishes, others with ropes and religious trinkets. Her head lolled from side to side as words poured from her lips.  
  
"How long do you think she will last?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Hours. A day at the most."  
  
"And then?"  
  
"She will regain consciousness or simply go into a coma. Either way, her brain won't be needed." Cole got to his feet slowly. "We will use her to bring him forth. We have been weak since the loss of Caleb. But we shall prevail. Soon the followers of Asteroph will be powerful once again. Hail him!"   
A chorus of voices took up the cry. "Hail Asteroph! Hail Caleb! We await your return!"  
  
Rebecca looked to her leader. "But won't they come for her?"  
  
"Of course. And we will slaughter them just as they did our leader. Those people have been a pestilence to our kind for too long. Now we will use them to bring forth their own destruction." He raised his arms to the sky. "Let them come!"  
  
_________________________________________endthree___________________________ 


	4. Chapter 4

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 4/?  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Nick O' Malley, Kate Benson and SU2 belong to Evan Katz. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.   
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Includes excerpts and characters from Karen's (Coe42) "Past and Future" and "Blast From The Past".  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Ryan slammed down the phone. "That's everybody. Megan, Lauren, Dennis, Katherine... none of them have seen her in weeks."  
  
Jack rubbed his eyes. "Okay, when was the last time you saw her?"  
  
"Yesterday morning. She was going to the library and she said it was going to take awhile. Then she said she had to run an errand."  
  
"What kind of errand," Johnny yelled.  
  
"Damn it, I don't know!" Ryan ran his hand though his hair. "She... she said she'd be right back afterwards."  
  
Johnny stopped pacing the room. "Okay. So we'll go by the library and she if anyone's seen her. Jack, what about the cops?"  
  
"Johnny, with all the problems we've had in the past month we can't afford to call the police. There's only so many times you can 'accidentally' stumble across dead bodies before they start getting suspicious."  
  
"What about that O'Malley guy?"  
  
Ryan jumped to his feet and ripped through the phone book. "He owes us one. Call him, Jack. Johnny and I are going to look for her."  
  
"I'll send Micki out to help you as soon as she gets back," Jack called to their backs.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan's head appeared at the office doorway. "Dinner's ready, ladies." When neither one of them responded, he sighed. "Or shall I just bring in a box of dry cereal?"  
  
Carol nodded. "Add a cup of chocolate milk to that and you'd be my hero."  
  
Kate laughed. "Be in in a minute. I'm right in the middle of a train of thought." Ryan nodded as he left the room.  
  
"Choo choo," came the response from across the table.  
  
"Funny." She tossed a pencil over the table gap. "Go eat. I'll be right there."  
  
"You got it, boss." Carol slid off the chair and stretched. "You know, we should be done just in time."  
  
Kate glanced at her watch. "Oh, we have plenty of time before the deadline."  
  
"I didn't mean then." She wiggled her eyebrows. "I mean before you kidnap your husband for a week of teenage-like fun."  
  
Another pencil was launched at her. "Go away!" Kate laughed as Carol playfully sulked out of the office. "Teenage-like fun," she whispered it herself. She scratched her forehead as her pen moved freely across the paper. Micki was about to attack the werewolf that had once been Victor Wolfe. ' 'Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?' Micki asked herself as she charged towards Jack and the monster.' Kate's pen slowed it's track...  
  
... 'Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?' Kate asked herself as she charged towards Jack and the monster... Knowing she's probably completely lost it by now, Kate grabbed hold of the nearest object which happened to be a ribbed back chair and smashed it over the monster's head in an act of complete stupidity.... In an act that was almost completely impossible, the monster jumped, whirled, and launched itself on to Kate as she tried to make good her escape. All she could manage was a startled "Umpf!" as she crashed to the a sickening cracking sound....  
  
Kate threw the pen across the room. Shaking hands made their way to her face. "Stop it. It's just a comic. It's not real life. This is your life, not this... mess." She took a few deep breaths before moving her hands. Once they had stopped shaking, she got up to have dinner with her family.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mr. Marshack?"   
  
"Detective O'Malley. Thank God. We need your help." Jack rubbed at his eyes again.  
  
"What's wrong?" Nick sighed. "Not another body cover-up."  
  
"Damn it, this is serious," Jack screamed. With a sigh, he continued. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Mr. Marshack," a female voice joined Nick's on the phone line, "this is Detective Benson. It's all right. We'd be happy to help you. You've been doing us a favor with all your work in the past few years. Now, what's wrong?"  
  
"It's Kate."  
  
"The little blond," Nick's voice called.  
  
"Yes. She's missing. She left to do some research work for me early yesterday morning. No one seen her since. With everything we do..."  
  
"I understand. Give me everything you have on where she was going and we'll put the word out for her," Benson said.  
  
Jack sighed. "Thank you. If anything happens..." His voice shook slightly.   
  
"We'll get right on it, Mr. Marshack," Nick said. "Don't worry. We'll find her."  
  
~*~  
  
Kate softly closed the door to Elizabeth's room.  
  
"A vacation in the middle of a semester? Are you nuts?" Ryan whispered, rather loudly.  
  
"Okay, so not for a week. How about just the weekend?" Kate wrapped her arms around Ryan's waist. "I just need to stop staring at the same walls. I need to break up the monotony."  
  
"Get the creative juices flowing again."  
  
Kate smirked. "Something like that."   
  
Ryan tilted his head to the closed door. "And the munchkin?"  
  
"Will be staying at my parent's." She laid her chin on Ryan's chest. "Drive up to the mountain house tomorrow morning, be back Sunday night." She traced her fingers along Ryan's spine. "Two days of no phones, sketch books, deadlines, book reports... other people."  
  
Ryan sighed. "You are evil, you know that."  
  
"You bet. That's why you love me."  
  
"You are so right." Ryan leaned his head down and took Kate's lips to his own. After a minute, he pulled away. "I'll start packing for us. You get the kiddo's."  
  
Kate smiled and kissed him again.   
  
~*~  
  
Jack jumped to the phone as it rattled on the desk. "Curious Goods?"  
  
"Mr. Marshack, it's O'Malley."  
  
"Yes Detective."  
  
"We 've been keeping tabs on the regular police radio bands." He stopped for a moment. "Mr. Marshack, do you want... everything?  
  
Jack stiffed another sigh. "Yes. Anything you have."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan and Johnny burst through the front door. "They found her?"  
  
Jack sat silently behind his desk.  
  
Johnny leaned heavily against the wall. "Oh God."  
  
"Ah," Jack cleared his throat. "I got a call from Detective O'Malley. About a half an hour ago, they found Kate's car. It was parked a block away from the public library. They... they found blood on the bumper, but nothing else."  
  
Ryan took a deep breath. "People at the library said she left a little after one in the afternoon. She asked them to hold her books and that she'd be back."  
  
"The guy that works in the reference section said she was always asking them to hold stuff. He said she was always very polite, asked how his family was doing and things." Johnny laughed hollowly. "He said they were becoming pretty good friends."  
  
"We don't know enough yet. Detective O'Malley said he'd call the minute he had anything else."  
  
Ryan turned and slammed his fist into the door. "Sitting around here isn't doing us any good either." He threw open the door and stormed out.  
  
"Johnny, keep an eye on him."   
  
As Johnny reached for the door, he called back to Jack. "We'll find her, Jack." He turned to him, his eyes dark. "And God help anyone that touched her."  
  
_______________________________________endfour________________________ 


	5. Chapter 5

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 5/?  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Nick O' Malley, Kate Benson and SU2 belong to Evan Katz. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.   
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Includes excerpts and characters from Karen's (Coe42) "Past and Future" and "Blast From The Past" and my story "Too Much Television Is Bad For Your Soul".  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Ryan turned another corner and made his way to the highway. "Three hours and we'll be far from annoyances and the same four walls. I'm surprised at how easily your parent's agreed to take the kiddo."  
  
Kate rubbed at her forehead. "Yeah. Me too. It was a little weird. Maybe they finally realized that holding grudges are ridiculous because they're ultimately the ones who miss out."  
  
Ryan laughed. "You're starting to sound like that old guy in your comic."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You know. They way he always ties a moral into each story."  
  
... "Now you've done it!" Micki exclaimed, "You let him explain it you, now he'll be smug for days." ...  
  
Kate shook her head.  
  
"Sweetie," Ryan lifted his hand from the steering wheel and took Kate's hand, "are you okay?"  
  
"Just a migraine. It'll go away."  
  
"Just close you eyes and relax. Why don't you tell me about what's going on in the new issue?"  
  
Kate closed her eyes and demanded her body to relax. "Okay, there's this knife..."  
  
~*~  
  
Cole rounded Kate's body again. Perfect. In the span of two days, they'd learned more about the inner workings of that stupid little shop than in years of Caleb's spy runs. Objects and their relevance, ways into the shop, everyone's name and background and most of all, their weaknesses. They seemed to be perfectly willing to die for each other, especially the two younger men. They'd throw themselves in a lion's den to save this girl's life. Which was exactly what Cole was counting on. He needed them here in order for his triumph to be complete. Once the girl showed signs of slipping, he'd send Rebecca to lead them here. Cole smiled as he ran his hand over the girl's forehead. A slight sheen of sweat began to form, heat emanating from her body. "Soon now." He turned to the circle of followers around Kate's altar. "Tell Rebecca to prepare."  
  
~*~  
  
... Kate drove, and she worried. Worried and drove. She was sure he'd had another one of his nightmares. It was obvious by the way he'd suddenly come awake (startling her half senseless in the process) and by the way he was avoiding her eyes...  
  
Kate tossed in her sleep.  
  
... "Yo, Kate! Calm down. It's just me." Ryan removed the scarf from around his face.   
  
Kate sighed. "Ryan Patrick Dallion, you scared the hell outta me!" She slowly put the candlestick down. Ryan removed his heavy winter coat....  
  
Ryan looked at her quickly. "Kate?"  
  
... Kate laughed. "Thanks Ryan." Ryan looked down for a second and then kissed her. But he had moved to fast and suddenly, a second later, his backside was stuck between the gap in the monkeybars...  
  
"Kate, wake up."  
  
... Kate laughed." No, it was like they couldn't keep an eye on me anymore. They actually used to tell me that I should marry Ryan. They always harbored this secret dream that the two of us would get together."   
  
Johnny frowned. "Did you ever think of doing it?"   
  
"God no! Yuck, it be like dating my cousin or something!"...  
  
Ryan shook her. "Kate!"  
  
Kate bolted upright. Sweat poured from her forehead into her eyes. "Huh?"  
  
"You were having a nightmare."  
  
Kate's migraine had come back with a vengeance. "Where are we?"  
  
"The rest stop. I gotta get gas." He wrapped his hand around hers. "Still got that headache?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Get something to eat and splash some cold water on your face. You'll feel better."  
  
Kate reached for the door handle.  
  
... Johnny smiled. "Good." He laid his hand on top of Kate's.   
  
"What was that?" She took his hand.   
  
"Nothing." He looked down. "I thought you said you didn't need anybody to hold your hand?"   
  
Kate smiled. "I think I could make an exception."...  
  
"Right. Cold water and food. Everything will be fine then." Kate slammed the door behind her, repressing the need to scream.  
  
~*~  
  
Cole smiled. "Rebecca?"  
  
She quickly dropped to one knee. "Sir."  
  
"It's time."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan slowly made his way to the front door of the shop, his hand throbbing.   
  
Johnny caught up to him. "Feeling any better?"  
  
Ryan spun around, his eyes blazing.  
  
"I meant your hand."  
  
Ryan looked down. "No. I think I broke a finger or two."  
  
"Temper will do that to you every time." Johnny put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Ryan,..."  
  
"Don't." He brushed him away. "Don't say 'We'll find her'. I'm sick and tired of all this. She doesn't belong here. This was never her problem. This is my fault. She's here because of me." Ryan turned his back on him.  
  
Johnny grabbed his shoulder an spun him around. "You selfish bastard. She's not here because of you. She's here because of us. Because of all of us. She's an intelligent woman, Ryan. She knows the risks. Hell, she's experienced them first hand! She stayed because she thought she could make a difference. You and Micki, you're family. Jack didn't have anyone left when he came here. You and Micki adopted him. I lost everything I had, but I gained you guys." Johnny forced Ryan to look at him. "Kate came with a friend, but she stayed with her family. And nobody screws with this family."  
  
Ryan smirked. "I didn't know you were Italian."  
  
"That was a little overly dramatic, wasn't it?"  
  
"Got your point across."  
  
As Johnny opened his mouth to respond, a noise from the alley cut him off. "What the hell?" He moved to look around the corner, Ryan following behind.  
  
A hooded person jumped down from the fire escape, a bag dangling from their shoulder. It looked around before running off the opposite way.  
  
"Get Jack," Ryan said as he took of after them.  
  
Johnny ran to the front door and stuck his head in. "Jack!"  
  
~*~  
  
Rebecca ran down the alley and stopped. She had to make sure they were all following. She peeked around carefully. Three bodies running down the alley. She smiled and took off again, more slowly as not to arouse their suspicion.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan dropped his bag on the floor. "You know, you're right. We needed this. God, I feel better already."  
  
Kate shut off the faucets and looked into the mirror. "I look awful."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
She ran her hands through her disheveled hair. Dark circles had appeared under her eyes, her complexion was almost yellow. "Nothing. I'll be right in." She leaned down and dried off her face. "I'm fine."  
  
... Kate and Micki walked towards the Brannigan Shop/Home. A bright orange light flashed briefly in the upstairs window. Kate frowned. "That's funny," she thought. The next thing she knew, Micki had thrown herself and Kate to the ground. Chunks of masonry rained down. Kate heard herself scream from a long way off...  
  
Kate clutched the sides of her head. "No."  
_______________________________________endfive______________________________ 


	6. Chapter 6

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 6/7 (?)  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Nick O' Malley, Kate Benson and SU2 belong to Evan Katz. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.   
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Includes excerpts and characters from Karen's (Coe42) "Past and Future" and "Blast From The Past" and my stories "Too Much Television Is Bad For Your Soul" and "Witches and Warlocks."  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Cole smiled as his followers rolled in the second altar. Candles began to be lit. Men and women mumbled prayers and chants, other brought forth cloth and herbs. "Good," Cole said. "Prepare his body. We shall begin soon." He reached forward and reverently pulled back the cloth. A half charred skeleton looked sadly up at him. "Soon Caleb... soon you will be amongst us again." He looked over at Kate. Sweat poured from her forehead, pain playing across her face. "Soon."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan crouched down behind a trash can and motioned for Jack and Johnny to follow him. "Jack, is it me or is this all a little too convenient?"  
  
"I agree. Micki came in just as I was leaving. She's calling the detective's."   
  
Johnny pulled out his cell phone. "I'll tell her where we are."  
  
"We can't wait for them to get here," Ryan said. He pointed up to a half open window. Flames were visible, sign song voices drifted down to them.   
  
Jack sighed. "Tell Micki that the detectives can meet us inside."  
~*~  
  
Kate slowly made her way from the bathroom to the living room. Ryan was stretched out on the couch, a blanket and a bowl of popcorn on his lap. "Anything good on," she asked.  
  
"Twilight Zone marathon?"   
  
Kate squeezed her eyes shut. "Please pick something else."  
  
Ryan frowned. "Thought you liked that show."  
  
She sat next to him and grabbed the blanket. "Not right now."  
  
Ryan moved to let Kate squeeze next to him and grabbed the remote. "Oh! Dracula!"  
  
Kate opened her mouth to respond...  
  
...Dracula advanced on Kate. "You're a very wise person, Madame."   
  
Kate smiled and whipped out a cross. "Actually I attribute it to one too many episodes of 'Dracula: The Series'. Ryan..... Ryan?" He was gone. Kate heard a strangled cry behind her. Kate looked past Dracula. Johnny had Ryan on a choke hold.   
  
"I thought you said he couldn't get out," he sputtered.   
  
"I must have left a gap in the circle!" Dracula grabbed Kate's hand and twisted it behind her back. The cross clattered to the ground.   
  
"Kate!"...  
  
Ryan sighed. "I'll take that as a no." He flipped to another channel. "Um, 'Bride of Frankenstein'?"  
  
"Sure." She pulled the blanket up to her throat. "Aren't you cold?"  
  
~*~  
  
Cole smiled as Rebecca burst into the room. "They're right behind," she dropped to a knee.  
  
"Just in time." He motioned to the followers. The two altars were pushed together. Kate's left arm was pulled away from her body. The skeleton's right arm popped and cracked as it was pulled away. Kate's wrist was tied to the skeleton's with red ribbons. Cole reached out his hand. Robed figures dropped to their knees in a perfect circle. Rebecca approached with a large silver jeweled knife. She knelt before Cole and bowed her head low, her arms raising the knife as an offering. Hand shaking slightly, he took it and held it high. "Caleb, we call you back from the darkness!" Cole rounded the altar and placed his hand over the skeleton's heart. He raised the knife again. "In Asteroph's name, arise!" Cole plunged the knife through his own hand into the heart of the charred body.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan shivered. "Yeah, a little bit." He pulled Kate closer to him. "Hey, you should be relaxing. Seems like ever since we left you've been getting more uptight." Ryan began to massage her shoulders. "It's just you," he gently kissed her neck, "me," his traced his lips to her jaw, "and a television." He bent down and kissed the hollow of her neck. "What more could we need?"  
  
Kate smiled. "A heater?"  
  
Ryan smirked and turned Kate to face him. He kissed her gently, his arms encircling her.   
  
Kate relaxed against her husband's form...  
  
... Kate and Ryan were still locked in Heather and Matthew's embrace. Ryan pulled away. Kate blinked and passed out. Ryan followed....  
  
"This is right," Kate's brain insisted. Her hands moved up Ryan's chest...  
  
... Johnny leaned down and gently kissed the cut. "Feel better?"   
  
She blushed. "Much better, You know, the world needs miracle doctors like you around."...  
  
"This is right"...  
  
... Johnny was sitting up against the wall with a book. "What do you think you're doing?"   
  
Kate smiled and climbed into his lap. "Going to sleep."   
  
He wrapped his arms around her. They didn't talk. Kate closed her eyes and listened to Johnny's heartbeat....  
  
"This is..."...  
  
... Johnny grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"   
  
She smiled. "To be a hero." In the blink of an eye, she kissed him. And, just as quickly, she was gone...  
  
"THIS..."...  
  
... She wrapped her arms around Johnny's neck. "Well, the hero usually get a reward at the end of the horror movie."   
  
Johnny traced his hands along her cheek. He bent down and brushed his lips along hers. "Like this", he whispered and brought his mouth fully to hers. For a minute, the world stopped around them....  
  
"IS..."...  
  
... Johnny turned to her, brushing his hands along her cheeks. "I hope so." He leaned down and kissed her gently....  
  
"NOT RIGHT!" Kate pulled away from Ryan and jumped up.   
  
"Kate, what's the matter?"  
  
"Everything," she screamed. "Everything's the matter! I don't belong here. You're not my husband, you're my best friend. I'm not a mother. I have no desire to have children anytime in the near future." The room slowly began to spin.  
  
"Kate, that's crazy." Ryan reached for her hand. "Come here." He pulled her to him again and kissed her.  
  
Kate closed her eyes, willing the dizziness to stop. A scent suddenly filler her nostrils, rotting burnt meat. She pulled away, her face covered in slime. She looked up at her husband. Before her stood a charred skeleton, and it was laughing.   
  
Kate screamed.  
  
~*~  
  
Kate screamed.  
  
Cole laughed and grabbed the bound hands.  
  
Ryan, Johnny and Jack raised their heads from their hiding places.  
  
"Caleb wakes!"  
  
_____________________________________endsix____________________________ 


	7. Chapter 7

TITLE: A Life In Reverse 7/7  
AUTHORS: Sam (Lestrade42)  
RATING: PG-13  
FEEDBACK: I have an enormous amount of fic stuffed into my head because I haven't had time to write. Please tell me you still love me.   
DISCLAIMER: All established characters (Micki, Ryan, Jack, Johnny, Lewis etc....) belong to Frank Mancuso, Jr. Nick O' Malley, Kate Benson and SU2 belong to Evan Katz. Kate Brannigan is a creation of Karen. All others belong to me.   
EXPLANATION: Stuff bad, shop crew good.  
  
This story came to me (literally) as I bent over to pick up a newspaper in the driveway. I think it's a combined frustration due to a haunted computer, a semi-broken A drive, a corrupted disk, a dusty 'Back To The Future' DVD and the fact I'm out of new "Stargate SG-1" episodes.   
  
Includes excerpts and characters from Karen's (Coe42) "Past and Future" and "Blast From The Past" and my stories "Too Much Television Is Bad For Your Soul" and "Witches and Warlocks."  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
"Caleb wakes!" Cole raised the knife high in the air.  
  
"No!" Ryan jumped to his feet. Johnny and Jack remained hidden and slowly began to move away.  
  
"Ah, Ryan. We miss you amongst our number." He pointed the knife at him. "You could have been great." He smiled. "Asteroph would have given you the power of a god. Well," he traced his hand along Kate's arm, "maybe she will be more open to the suggestion."  
  
~*~  
  
The disfigured form moved closer to Kate. "What, no kiss for your husband?"  
  
Kate reached out behind her and grabbed a poker from the fireplace. She held it out in front of her. "How does 'hell no' grab you?" She swung it at the thing's head.  
  
The skeleton's head snapped back to look at her. "Is that the best you can do?"  
  
Kate screamed and launched herself at the creature. She brought down the poker time after time, all the frustration of the last two days finally taking their toll.  
  
"Kate stop!"  
  
Kate stopped, her arm raised in the air. Underneath her, the figure moved.  
  
Johnny's eyes met her. "Kate, what did I do?"  
  
Kate's arms dropped. "Johnny? I..."  
  
Johnny grabbed her arms and threw her across the room. Kate's body hit the fireplace and dropped to the floor. Johnny's eyes blazed as he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. "Stupid bitch." He looked to the ceiling. "Now Cole!"  
  
~*~  
  
The charred figure next to Cole stirred. "Now Cole!"  
  
"Forgive me, Ryan. I have a messiah to raise!" He lifted Kate's hand. The silver knife slashed across her wrist, blood pouring from the open wound.  
  
"No!" Ryan leapt over the boxes he had been hiding behind and ran to the altars.  
  
Johnny and Jack, on opposite sides of the room, signaled to each other. Johnny quietly pulled one of the coven members back and hit him over the head with a plank of wood. Jack did the same.  
  
Cole held out the knife, blood dripping from the end. "Get them!" He dropped the knife and clasped Kate's wrist to Caleb's. Blood poured into his body, red light emanating from his chest. "Caleb awa..." Cole was cut off as Ryan's body crashed into him.  
  
~*~  
  
Kate screamed as pain ripped through her arm. The Johnny creature smiled and lifted her wrist to his mouth. Red liquid filled his lips, covered his teeth. "How sweet you taste." He squeezed again.  
  
Kate struggled against the grip on her neck, trying to ignore the pain in her useless left arm. She threw herself backwards, throwing Johnny off balance. She kicked out and caught him in the stomach. As he leaned forward, she brought her knee up connecting with his jaw. He dropped her to the ground. She grabbed the poker and took him out at the knees. As he rolled over to get back up, Kate plunged the poker through his heart.  
  
Johnny lay there shocked, a hand gripping the poker. With a sigh, his head dropped to the ground.  
  
Kate slowly turned her back on it and made her way to the door. A sudden sound made her stop.  
  
Johnny was on the ground, laughing. He pulled the poker out and threw it across the room. Slowly he sat up, a gaping hole in his chest. The face began to morph. The head was covered in scars and tattoos. Blue eyes, burned pointed ears, long dirty hair...  
  
"Oh my God. Asteroph's coven leader. You tried to kill Ryan!"   
  
"Caleb," he bowed mockingly. "But I don't need Ryan now. I have you."  
  
Kate backed into the door and threw it open.  
  
"It doesn't matter where you run," Caleb called to the half open doorway, "you can't outrun your mind."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan fists connected with Cole face, rage filling him. Suddenly something launched itself at Ryan's back. A woman scratching and biting at him, desperate to save her leader.  
  
Johnny swung at another coven members head, the board connecting with a sickening thud. Only a handful were left. They seemed too afraid to actually approach him or Jack. Johnny swore he had even seen some of these faces before.   
  
"Johnny!" Jack pointed over to the altar space.   
  
Johnny ran over and grabbed the woman clawing at Ryan.  
  
~*~  
  
Kate ran down the country road. Her wrist continued to bleed, no amount of pressure seemed to stop it. God, she was tired. She turned a corner around a tall tree... and found herself standing on Druid Avenue in Chicago. The abrupt change of scenery disoriented her for a moment. Her legs buckled beneath her as her head swam. "God, I'm going to bleed to death."  
  
"Yes, you are." Caleb walked slowly behind her. "And in the moment of your death, I shall arise. And then, Asteroph will come back to us."  
  
"You couldn't bring him back last time." Kate spat at him.  
  
"No. You and your insipid friends had to stop it. But that doesn't matter now. Thanks to your.. comic book, we now know everything about Lewis's store. Every way to get in and out, the objects contained inside, how to open the vault and most importantly how to deal with your friends."  
  
"No!" Kate tried to stand up, but fell to the side.  
  
"Everything you talked about here, we know. But, it doesn't have to end like this." Caleb knelt down next to her. "You can stay here forever. Live this life like it was your own. Just let yourself go. Stop fighting death." He motioned behind him.   
  
Ryan, holding Elizabeth, walked up to her. "We miss you, Kate."  
  
Kate shut her eyes.  
  
~*~  
  
Johnny threw Rebecca over the Jack, who cracked a candlestick over her head.   
  
Cole got to his feet, the knife back in his hand. "I'm tired of you people!" He swung the knife at Ryan's hand, slicing it open.  
  
Johnny ran to Kate's body. Her face had gone almost completely white, blood still dripping from her wrist. "Kate! Oh God..." He ripped the bottom of his shirt and wrapped the wound.   
  
~*~  
  
"The life you never got to have can be yours. Husband, child, career, parent's... life. Just let yourself go."  
  
Kate looked at him. "Go back to hell." She rolled over and picked herself up. She made her way to the door of 'Curious Goods'.  
  
"You die quietly here or watch yourself die out there! Either way, you will not see another day."  
  
Kate sighed as she leaned on the door handle. "Hell, I could use the rest." As the door cracked open, a brilliant white light hit her in the face. She blinked...  
  
~*~  
  
Kate blinked. Her head rolled over. "Joh...," her voice cracked.  
  
"Kate. Don't talk. We'll get you out of here." He pulled out a pocket knife and opened the blade.  
  
~*~  
  
Caleb shook. "No! Cole, stop him!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Stop him," the corpse screamed.  
  
Cole reached for Johnny's neck. "No!"  
  
Johnny cut the ribbons connecting Kate and Caleb. A scream pierced the altar room.  
  
Ryan grabbed Cole by the hood and whipped into a pillar. The knife clattered to the ground. Ryan picked it up and turned away.  
  
Cole, with a strangled cry, launched himself at Ryan.  
  
Ryan spun around, the knife raised. The two of the crashed to the floor.  
  
"Ryan," Jack yelled.  
  
Cole's body stiffened for a moment, then turned limp. Ryan pushed him off. The knife had gone through the center of his heart. He winced as he pulled himself off the floor. "Kate?"  
  
Jack began untying her arms and legs. "We need to get her out of here. She's lost a lot of blood."  
  
Ryan was about to respond when a door at the opposite end of the room burst open. "Mr. Marshack!" Detective O'Malley ran into the room, gun drawn.  
  
"Over here."  
  
O'Malley scanned the room quickly. "Anyone still alive?"  
  
"Unconscious mostly." Ryan kicked Cole's side. "This one's dead."  
  
"We've rounded up some people trying to run. We'll get the rest of the ones up here."  
  
"O'Malley, we need an ambulance." As Johnny reached over to pick Kate up, Caleb's body rose up and reached for him. Johnny grabbed his pocket knife and drove it into his chest. Red light exploded from the wound. Slowly, the body crumbled into dust, a scream piercing the air.  
  
O'Malley eyes widened. "There's something you don't see everyday."  
  
Johnny lifted Kate's body off the altar, Ryan holding her wrist tight. "Ambulance!"  
  
"Right." O'Malley pulled a radio from his pocket. "O'Malley. We need the ambulance standing by."  
~*~  
  
Kate slowly opened her eyes. Sunlight poured in from between the curtains. The room was filled with the scent of flowers... and antiseptic. Hospital room. "Uh..."  
  
A body next to her moved. "Kate?"  
  
Kate slowly turned her head.   
  
Micki's red hair came into focus. "Mmm..."  
  
"Hang on." She grabbed a cup of water and a straw from the bedside table. "Here. Just a little bit."  
  
"Thanks," her voice cracked slightly. "How long?"  
  
"Have you been here? Two days. You lost a lot of blood. They did a transfusion and put stitches in your wrist."  
  
"No wonder it itches." She held up her bandaged wrist.   
  
"You'll be here another two days or so. They just want to make sure there's no infection."  
  
"I need to talk to Jack."  
  
"He's back at the shop. Is it important?"  
  
"Very."  
  
Micki pulled the phone from the table onto the bed.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack nodded. "All right, Kate. I'll see if Detective O'Malley can help us out."  
  
"Jack, I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh Kate, there's no need to apologize. There's no way you could have known. Just rest. I'll stop by and see you tomorrow."  
  
"Okay."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan tapped on the door. "Hey."  
  
Johnny poked his head out from behind Ryan's shoulder. "Make that two."  
  
Kate smiled. "Hey twice then."  
  
"I come bearing sugar and art supplies," Ryan said. "Oh, and the boyfriend brought flowers."  
  
"My heroes." Kate smiled slightly.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Ryan sat on the edge of the bed.   
  
"Not too bad. A little itchy, a little tired, and very bored." She rubbed at her wrist. "I guess I'm still adjusting."  
  
Johnny took her hand. "adjusting?"  
  
Kate pulled her hand away slowly. "Ah, yeah. Nevermind."   
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Kate took a deep breath. Of course she wasn't going to talk about it. It was just too freakish, too strange. Hell, it was almost traumatizing. She opened her mouth to say no.  
  
~*~  
  
"And then this big white light flashed up and bang. I was awake with a slit wrist tied to a corpse." Kate settled herself back into her pillows.  
  
Johnny rubbed his eyes. "Wow."  
  
Ryan sat silently at the end of the bed. "I..." He sighed.  
  
"Yeah. Lot's of weirdness, most of which is still stuck in my head. So you'll have to excuse the tender moments of me not being me. I mean, don't worry. I'll get over it... eventually."  
  
Ryan numbly nodded. "Yeah. Understandable. I kinda know what you're going through, if just slightly less twisted."  
  
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, I... well, I actually have no idea. Now death, that I can discuss."  
  
Ryan gave him a sideways glance.  
  
"What? It's true. Everyone of us in this room has been dead at one point or another."  
  
Ryan rubbed his eyes. "Yes, how blessed are we that we can discuss the pleasure of returning from the dead. It's like something out of a Hammer film."  
  
Slowly a smile crossed Kate's face.  
  
"What", the men asked in unison.  
  
"Now I know I'm back in reality." She held her outs out. "This is my life..." She sighed. "Such as it is."  
  
___________________________________end_________________________________ 


End file.
